Apparatus for unloading grain-cars.



No. 873,773 PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907. F. R. MCQUEEN APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING GRAIN CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAIL), 1906.

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No. 873,778. PATBNTED DEC. 17, 1907.

F. R. MoQUI-IEN. APPARATUS FOR U'NLOADING GRAIN CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 10, 1906.

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P. R. MQQUEEN. APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING GRAIN cARs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1906.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed March 10, 1906. Serial No. 305277.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FINLAY ROBERT MCQUEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Unloading Grain-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to apparatus for unloading grain cars, and has for its especial object to improve such apparatus in such manner that the cars may be emptied of grain very rapidly and at small cost; and to the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter describedand defined in the claims.

In accordance with my invention, I interpose one or more, and preferably a series, of dumping latforms in a railway track in the vicinity of an elevator or elsewhere, and provide these dumping platforms with rails that constitute sections of the track rails. These platforms are pivoted at or in the vicinity of one end thereof, and the rail sections mounted thereon should be somewhat longer than the longest car that is to be emptied by the use of the platform. At the pivoted end of the platform is a bumper that is adapted to be moved into and out of operative positions, that is, into one position to prevent move ments of the cars, when the platform is tilted, and into another position, to permit the cars to freely pass over the same, when the platform is in horizontal osition. Means is also provided for raising t e free end of the tilting platform, so as to cause the grain to run out of one end of the car supported thereby. The cars must be provided with end doors which should extend to the bottom of the car.

The apparatus is especially designed for use in connection with grain storage elevators, and receiving hoppers are provided below and in the vicinity of the pivoted ends of the several tilting platforms. The invention as preferably arranged, involves a plurality of dumping or tilting platforms alined to the same track, so that several cars of a train may be simultaneously emptied.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, some parts being shown in diagram only, and some parts being broken away, illustrating my improved ap-- paratus and showing several cars in position on tilting platforms. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on the line 00 m of Fig. 1, some parts being broken away, and the parts shown being on a larger scale than in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the track, including a portion of one of the tilting platforms, some parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a detail in vertical section taken approximately on the line 90 m of Fig. 3, some parts being broken away; and Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1, but illustrating a modified form of the device for imparting tilting movements to the tilting platform.

The track to which the tilting platforms are applied in accordance with my invention, involve fixed rail sections 1 and movable rail sections 2, the former of which are rigidly secured to suitable skeleton framework 3, and the latter of which are rigidly secured to the tilting platforms which, as shown, are made up of heavy longitudinally extended I-beams 4 and intermediate channel beams 4 which beams are tied together and braced by cross bars 5. The fixed rail sections 1 are short as compared with the platform rails 2, and as shown they are rigidly secured, directly to laterally spaced channel beams 6 that constitute parts of the skeleton framework 3. The platform beams 4, at or close to one end, to-Wit, their left hand ends, as shown in Fig. 1, are connected to the fixed frame beams 6, by heavy pivot shafts or rods 7 that constitute the platform pivots.

Located below the fixed rails 1 and below the pivoted ends of the platforms, and extending transversely of the track into the elevator structure (not shown) or to any other suitable point, are conveyer troughs 8 of any suitable form, that work in receiving hoppers 9.

As shown in Fig. 1, the free ends of the platforms are adapted to be raised by cables 10 attached thereto and extended over guide sheaves 11 mounted on an overhead skeleton framework 12. The upper ends of these cables 10 are attached to and adapted to be wound up and let out by a power driven Windlass mechanism 13 of any suitable construction, shown as applied to upper portions of the framework 12. Furthermore, any suitable mechanism may be provided for raising and lowering the free ends of the platforms. For instance, in Fig. 5, I have for this purpose shown a large segmental gear 14 applied to the platform and meshing with a pinion 16 mounted on a fixed support and adapted to be driven by any suitable means, (not shown.)

The numeral 17 indicates, in. diagram, box cars which are of the usual construction except that they are provided, in their ends, with small doors or valves 18 which, when open, permit the cars to be emptied from their ends.

The movable bumpers, or bumper posts, as shown, are made up each of a pair of chan nel bars 19 and a pair of links 20. The channel bars 19 at their lower ends, are spaced apart and rigidly secured by a block 21, and they are pivoted on the intermediate portion of the corresponding pivot rod 7. At their upper ends, said bars 19 are rigidly connected to a bumper head 22 against which the couplers 23 of the cars are adapted to engage, when the platform is tilted. The links 20 are pivotally connected, by pins 24, to the upper portions of the pivoted bars 19, and they are provided with slots 2O that extend nearly from end to end thereof, and work upon rods 25 that are rigidly secured to the intermediate beams 1 of the respective tilting platforms. The slots 20 and the links 20 are of such length that they permit the bumpers proper, which are made up of the channel bars 19, to be turned down level with or below the rails of the platforms, and. also to limit the rising movements of said bumpers, to positions at approximately ninety degrees to the platforms. As is evident, when the bumpers are turned down, the cars may freely pass over the same, and when the bumpers are turned up, and the platforms are tilted, they serve to prevent the cars from running down the inclined rails and off from the platforms. Furthermore, they properly position the cars so that when they are tilted and their end doors 18 are opened, the grain from the cars will be discharged into the respective hoppers 9.

Means is preferably provided for moving the bumpers to and from operative position and, as shown, this means comprises segmental gears 26, secured to said bumpers, and in- I termeshing pinions 27 carried by shafts 28 that are mounted in suitable bearings 29 on the platform beams 4 and are also journaled in certain. of the I-beams 4 of the re, These shafts 28 may be spective platforms.

. operated by a wrench or crank applied to the projecting ends thereof, or any suitable means may be provided for operating the same from points above the fixed platforms 8 of the skeleton framework 3. When the tilting platforms are lowered, with their rails 2 alined with the fixed rail sections 1, their free ends rest upon transverse beams 3 of said framework 3.

In practice it has been found that grain cars or box cars are not sufficiently strong to withstand lateral strains which are put upon the sides of the same when it is attempted to empty the car by lateral pivotal movements, as has hitherto been attempted. By emptying the cars from their ends, by endwise tilting movements, the grain is permitted to run from the cars approximately as fast as it flows toward the ends thereof, so that no materially increased strains, or strains that will in any wise damage the cars, are produced. With the platforms pivoted for tilting movements, at or near the vicinity of their ends, the platforms do not move downward when tilted, and hence the hoppers may be located high up or close to the track. This latter feature has many advantages incident to cheap construction. Furthermore, it very frequently happens that these tilting-platforms must be placed on low ground where the water level is not far below the surface and where, consequently, a deep basement under the platform would be either impossible or at least, very expensive. With the platforms pivoted at one end it is obvious that a very low or shallow basement may be employed.

The small doors or valves in the ends of the cars may be very easily opened even when the pressure of grain is against the same. Hence, by emptying the cars from their ends, a great saving in breakage of the side grain doors is effected, because the latter will not have to be opened while the pressure of grain is against the same.

The device described makes it possible to unload grain cars very rapidly and at small cost and, as already pointed out, makes it possible to simultaneously unload several cars of a train, with the cars of course uncoupled, but standing close to each other on the same track.

What I claim is:

1. In a car unloading apparatus, the combination with a tilting platform pivoted at or in the vicinity of one end, and provided with rails that constitute sections of the rails of a railway track, of a hopper located below the pivoted end of said platform, and a bumper post pivotally mounted on the tilted end of said platform, between the rails thereof, and a link pivoted to said bumper post and engageable with a fixed stop on said platform, to limit the upward pivotal movements of said bumper post, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a plurality of tilting platforms interposed in a railway track in close proximity and provided with rails that constitute sections of the track rails, of means for independently raising and lowering corresponding ends of said platforms, and hoppers located below the other ends of said platforms, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an endwise tilting platform, of a car, the body of which has end doors that extend to the bottom thereof, and means for holding said car on said platform, while said platform is being tilted endwise thereby, to unload the car, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for unloading cars, the combination with a tilting platform pivoted at one end, of abumping post pivotally con- 15 nected to said platform on the axial line of its pivotal support, of means for raising and lowering said bumping post to and from operative position, and means for raising and lowering the free end of the tilting platform, 20 substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FINLAY ROBERT MCQUEEN.

Witnesses: I

MALIE HOEL, F. D. MERCHANT. 

